Improvement in seeding-machines



' UNITED STA-TES PATENT OFFICE.

C. STEPHENSON AND G. STEPHENSON, OF PLAINFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN SEEDING-MACHINES.

Speciiicat-ion forming part of Letters Patent No. 13,530, dated September 4, 1855.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we,C. STEPHENSON and G. STEPHENsoN, of Plaineld, in the county of Hampshire and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and Improved Seeding-Machine; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the-same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specitication, in which- Figure lis a longitudinal vertical section of our improvement. Fig. 2 is an inverted plan of saine.

Similar letters of reference indica-te corresponding parts in the two figures.

The nature of our invention consists in a peculiar distributing device or in the peculiar means employed for conveying the seed in suitable quantities from the hopper to the furrow, as will be presently shown and described.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use our invention, we will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

A represents a platform or framing support` ed at the front end by a wheel, B, placed at the center of the frame, and at the back end by a roller, C.

D D are two handles attached to the back part of the platform or framing.

E represents a rectangular box placed upon the platform or framing A, and F is a conveying-tube, which passes into the lower part of the box, the lower end of the tube F having a share, G, attached to it or formed upon it. The upper end of the tube passes through the bottom of the box near its front end, as shown in Fig. l, and the bottom ofthe box is of concave form.

)n the upper part of the box E there is placed a hopper, H, between which and the box E there is fitted a slide, I. This slide is connected by a rod, J, to a lever, K, the lower end of which works on a pin or rod, a, on the back part 'of the framing or platform A. The upper end of the lever K has a bar, b, passing transversely through it. The rod J has a spring, c, connected to it, and the slide I has a hole, d, made through it, which hole is kept partially under a hole, e, in the bottom of the hopper H by the spring. (See Fig. 1.)

L represents a shaft, which is placed transversely in the box E. One end of this shaft projects through the side of the box E, and has a crank, j', attached to it. (See dotted lines, Fig. 2.) To the end of the crank fone end of a connecting-rod, g, is attached, the opposite end of the rod having an eye or strap, It, upon it, which eye or strap works over a circular projection, fi, on one end of theroller, said projection being placed eccentric with the roller, as shown by the dotted lines in Fig.- 1. The shaft L has a tube, L, inserted in it, one end of which is provided with a curved plate, a', of a suitable length and breadth. The tube passes transversely through the shaft L, and its inner end is directly over the upper end oftheconveying-tubeF, as shownin Fig.1.

The front end ofthe platform or framing A is pointed, so as to form oblique ends or sides, to which strips or planks jj are secured, said strips or planks having small teeth 7c at their lower edges.

M M are covering-shares attached to the back part of theframiugorcasing behind the tube F.

Operation: The seed to be planted is placed in the hopper H, and as the machine is drawn along the seed passes through the holes d e in the hopper H and slide I. The seed falls upon a detlecting-plate, l, underneath the slide I, and then falls upon the concave bottoni of the box E. The connecting-rod g, eccentric projection fi, and crank f give a reciprocating motion to the shaft L, and the tube L consequently Works up and down within the box E. As the tube passes upward the plate a' will scoop up a quantity of seed, which, as the tube approaches a vertical position, passes down by its own gravity through the tube L' and into the conveying-tube F, and through the tube F into the furrow made by the share G. The seed is thus taken from the box E and thrown or carried into the upper end of the tube F in suitable quantities. The supply of seed in the box E is regulated by adjusting the slide I by operating the lever K by hand. The shares M M cover the seed with earth, and the roller C presses the earth upon the seed.

In the drawings twodistributing devices are represented-one for seed and the other for ma- 2 izs,530

nure; butthcy are precisely similarin constrncsecured within a shaft, L, which has a rechition. The teeth lc smooth the ground and rcrocating rotary motion,subsmntially as shown move obstructions from bhe path of the sharcGr. and described.

Having thus described our invention, what We claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

DistrihuLing or conveying the seed from the Vitnesscs: boxE to the conveying-spout- F by meansof the l DAVID SHEAD, tube L with plate ci attached, the tube being l FRED E. CAMPBELL.

C. STEPHENSON. G E0. STEPHENSON. 

